Correlation between the Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Susceptibility to Antibiotics among the Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) 2021-03, Vol.10 (3), p.255
• Main Authors: Abdelaziz, Salma M, Aboshanab, Khaled M, Yahia, Ibrahim S, Yassien, Mahmoud A, Hassouna, Nadia A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amikacin; Aminoglycoside antibiotics; Aminoglycosides; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Azithromycin; Aztreonam; Bacteria; carbapenem resistance; Carbapenemase; Ciprofloxacin; Correlation analysis; Cotrimoxazole; Drug resistance; E coli; Efflux; Enzymes; ESBL; Escherichia coli; Fluoroquinolones; Genes; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; Klebsiella; Klebsiella pneumoniae; lower respiratory tract infections; Medical importance; Microorganisms; Multidrug resistance; Pathogens; Plasmids; Pneumonia; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Tobramycin; Urinary tract diseases; Urinary tract infections; Urogenital system; β-Lactam antibiotics
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10030255

In this study, the correlation between the antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic susceptibility among the carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens (CRGNPs) recovered from patients diagnosed with acute pneumonia in Egypt was found. A total of 194 isolates including (89; 46%), (47; 24%) and (58; 30%) were recovered. Of these, 34 (18%) isolates were multiple drug resistant (MDR) and carbapenem resistant. For the MDR isolates (n = 22), (14; 64%) was the most prevalent carbapenemase, followed by (11; 50%) and (4; 18%). A significant association ( value < 0.05) was observed between the multidrug efflux pump (AcrA) and resistance to β-lactams and the aminoglycoside acetyl transferase gene ( ) gene and resistance to ciprofloxacin, azithromycin and β-lactams (except for aztreonam). For , a significant association was noticed between the presence of the gene and the multidrug efflux pump (MexA) and resistance to fluoroquinolones, amikacin, tobramycin, co-trimoxazole and β-lactams and between the gene and resistance to aminoglycosides. All isolates (100%) harbored the MexAB-OprM multidrug efflux pump while 86% of the isolates harbored the AcrAB-TolC pump. Our results are of great medical importance for the guidance of healthcare practitioners for effective antibiotic prescription.